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Premier League Player Ratings: Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Chelsea
Diouf's second half header makes title dream a little tougher for Blues...
21 Mar 2010 18:13:00
By Alex Dimond
BLACKBURN ROVERS
Jason Brown - 6.5 - Could do little for Drogba's early strike. Made a couple of respectable saves but will no doubt be relieved he wasn't tested more frequently.
Michel Salgado - 7 - Mixed bag for the former Real Madrid full-back, whose vast experience came in hand on a number of occasions but diminishing technical and physical skills also sometimes left his team-mates exposed. On the other hand, his exquisite deep cross did find Diouf for a valuable equaliser.
Christopher Samba - 8 - Was involved in a decent tussle with Drogba throughout, and although the Chelsea man got the upper hand with his goal early on he was soon kept in check by the Congolese centre-back.
Phil Jones - 7.5 - Thrust into action after injuries to Rovers' first-choice defenders, the local lad put in a very encouraging performance on his Premier League debut. Didn't seem fazed by the quality of opposition, and happily put his foot in at every opportunity.
Martin Olsson - 7 - Made a couple of sloppy mistakes but overall was a solid defensive presence for his side, keeping Kalou in particular from making any real difference.
Morten Gamst Pedersen - 6.5 - Caused a few problems with his delivery from set-pieces and once or twice threatened inside the Chelsea box. But perhaps didn't quite get as involved as his manager would have liked.
Keith Andrews - 6.5 - Typical hard-working performance from the box-to-box midfielder. Didn't show too much attacking quality, but put himself about in midfield to make life difficult for the likes of Lampard.
Steven Nzonzi - 6.5 - Still learning at this level, his naivety was obvious on a couple of occasions. But his height caused Chelsea problems from set pieces, and he was committed in midfield throughout the game.
El-Hadji Diouf - 7.5 - Rose above Ferreira to plant the ball beyond Turnbull and grab his side an equaliser. Put in a solid all-round performance where he did a lot of defensive dirty work.
David Dunn - 6 - Struggled to get into the game and cause problems with his creativity and vision. Having only just returned after a spell out injured, he was withdrawn just before the hour.
Nikola Kalinic - 6.5 - Was a willing runner all game, but just couldn't quite get the service from his team-mates to make a real impact. Was withdrawn early by his manager, an unpopular decision with the home fans.
Substitutes
Brett Emerton - 6 - Replaced Dunn as his side's main creative threat for a period, and then converted to a more defensive role after Diouf's surprise goal. Solid all-round display from the Australian.
Jason Roberts - 7 - Pace and work ethic caused problems after replacing Kalinic. Blackburn dropped very deep after equalising, but Roberts' presence ensured the Blues couldn't be too gung-ho.
David Hoilett - n/a - Injury time replacement for injured Nzonzi.
CHELSEA
Ross Turnbull - 6 - Will perhaps be disappointed with how easily Diouf headed the ball beyond him at the far post, although such chances are never easy to stop. Otherwise had little to do all game, something which will make the lack of a clean sheet even more annoying.
Paulo Ferreira - 6 - Was beaten in the air rather easily by Diouf for the equaliser. Up until that point it had been another typically low-key and error-free performance from the full-back.
John Terry - 6.5 - Was guilty of a few unrefined challenges defensively, as both Kalinic and Roberts occasionally looked like they might get the better of him. Frequent complaints to the referee quickly grew tiresome.
Alex - 6.5 - Suspicion persists that the Brazilian and Terry are too similar to be effective as a defensive pairing. Was uncompromising throughout but on occasions the Blues backline seemed less than water-tight.
Branislav Ivanovic - 6 - Roamed forward to some effect until an awkward challenge with El-Hadji Diouf ended his afternoon prematurely. Carlo Ancelotti must hope that the Serbian will not be another addition to the long-term injury list.
John Obi Mikel - 6 - Was competent but nothing more in his defensive midfield role. Chelsea would have hoped to dominate more in the centre of the park, but the Nigerian was not always able to get his foot on the ball.
Frank Lampard - 6.5 - Struggled to really find an opening, and rarely seemed to find himself in a dangerous position in the box. Ancelotti needs to find a way to get the midfielder more involved in the final third.
Florent Malouda - 7 - Asked to drop back into a more central role to accommodate Kalou, the Frenchman was not as much of an attacking presence as in recent games but tracked back defensively to aid his team.
Salomon Kalou - 5.5 - Selection was something of a surprise, and it didn't seem to work particularly effectively as the Ivorian found himself in decent positions on a few occasions but failed to make anything of them.
Nicolas Anelka - 7 - After a poor display in midweek, the Frenchman made some amends with an impressive all-round performance which included an instrumental role in the opening goal.
Didier Drogba - 7 - Clinical finish gave Chelsea the start to the game they wanted, one that should have made the remaining 85 minutes markedly easier to handle. But once Rovers equalised he was quickly man-marked, and consequently Chelsea struggled to threaten.
Substitutes
Yury Zhirkov - 6 - Replaced the injured Ivanovic just before half-time. Was solid for much of the game but looked frustrated to be playing so defensively
Deco - 6 - Brought on for Kalou. His brand of creativity was clearly sought, but never quite found.
Daniel Sturridge - n/a - Last ditch roll of the dice from Ancelotti. No luck.
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Jason Brown - 6.5 - Could do little for Drogba's early strike. Made a couple of respectable saves but will no doubt be relieved he wasn't tested more frequently.
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Michel Salgado - 7 - Mixed bag for the former Real Madrid full-back, whose vast experience came in hand on a number of occasions but diminishing technical and physical skills also sometimes left his team-mates exposed. On the other hand, his exquisite deep cross did find Diouf for a valuable equaliser.
Christopher Samba - 8 - Was involved in a decent tussle with Drogba throughout, and although the Chelsea man got the upper hand with his goal early on he was soon kept in check by the Congolese centre-back.
Phil Jones - 7.5 - Thrust into action after injuries to Rovers' first-choice defenders, the local lad put in a very encouraging performance on his Premier League debut. Didn't seem fazed by the quality of opposition, and happily put his foot in at every opportunity.
Martin Olsson - 7 - Made a couple of sloppy mistakes but overall was a solid defensive presence for his side, keeping Kalou in particular from making any real difference.
Morten Gamst Pedersen - 6.5 - Caused a few problems with his delivery from set-pieces and once or twice threatened inside the Chelsea box. But perhaps didn't quite get as involved as his manager would have liked.
Keith Andrews - 6.5 - Typical hard-working performance from the box-to-box midfielder. Didn't show too much attacking quality, but put himself about in midfield to make life difficult for the likes of Lampard.
Steven Nzonzi - 6.5 - Still learning at this level, his naivety was obvious on a couple of occasions. But his height caused Chelsea problems from set pieces, and he was committed in midfield throughout the game.
El-Hadji Diouf - 7.5 - Rose above Ferreira to plant the ball beyond Turnbull and grab his side an equaliser. Put in a solid all-round performance where he did a lot of defensive dirty work.
David Dunn - 6 - Struggled to get into the game and cause problems with his creativity and vision. Having only just returned after a spell out injured, he was withdrawn just before the hour.
Nikola Kalinic - 6.5 - Was a willing runner all game, but just couldn't quite get the service from his team-mates to make a real impact. Was withdrawn early by his manager, an unpopular decision with the home fans.
Substitutes
Brett Emerton - 6 - Replaced Dunn as his side's main creative threat for a period, and then converted to a more defensive role after Diouf's surprise goal. Solid all-round display from the Australian.
Jason Roberts - 7 - Pace and work ethic caused problems after replacing Kalinic. Blackburn dropped very deep after equalising, but Roberts' presence ensured the Blues couldn't be too gung-ho.
David Hoilett - n/a - Injury time replacement for injured Nzonzi.
CHELSEA
Ross Turnbull - 6 - Will perhaps be disappointed with how easily Diouf headed the ball beyond him at the far post, although such chances are never easy to stop. Otherwise had little to do all game, something which will make the lack of a clean sheet even more annoying.
Paulo Ferreira - 6 - Was beaten in the air rather easily by Diouf for the equaliser. Up until that point it had been another typically low-key and error-free performance from the full-back.
John Terry - 6.5 - Was guilty of a few unrefined challenges defensively, as both Kalinic and Roberts occasionally looked like they might get the better of him. Frequent complaints to the referee quickly grew tiresome.
Alex - 6.5 - Suspicion persists that the Brazilian and Terry are too similar to be effective as a defensive pairing. Was uncompromising throughout but on occasions the Blues backline seemed less than water-tight.
Branislav Ivanovic - 6 - Roamed forward to some effect until an awkward challenge with El-Hadji Diouf ended his afternoon prematurely. Carlo Ancelotti must hope that the Serbian will not be another addition to the long-term injury list.
John Obi Mikel - 6 - Was competent but nothing more in his defensive midfield role. Chelsea would have hoped to dominate more in the centre of the park, but the Nigerian was not always able to get his foot on the ball.
Frank Lampard - 6.5 - Struggled to really find an opening, and rarely seemed to find himself in a dangerous position in the box. Ancelotti needs to find a way to get the midfielder more involved in the final third.
Florent Malouda - 7 - Asked to drop back into a more central role to accommodate Kalou, the Frenchman was not as much of an attacking presence as in recent games but tracked back defensively to aid his team.
Salomon Kalou - 5.5 - Selection was something of a surprise, and it didn't seem to work particularly effectively as the Ivorian found himself in decent positions on a few occasions but failed to make anything of them.
Nicolas Anelka - 7 - After a poor display in midweek, the Frenchman made some amends with an impressive all-round performance which included an instrumental role in the opening goal.
Didier Drogba - 7 - Clinical finish gave Chelsea the start to the game they wanted, one that should have made the remaining 85 minutes markedly easier to handle. But once Rovers equalised he was quickly man-marked, and consequently Chelsea struggled to threaten.
Substitutes
Yury Zhirkov - 6 - Replaced the injured Ivanovic just before half-time. Was solid for much of the game but looked frustrated to be playing so defensively
Deco - 6 - Brought on for Kalou. His brand of creativity was clearly sought, but never quite found.
Daniel Sturridge - n/a - Last ditch roll of the dice from Ancelotti. No luck.
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